Student survey raises questions

BONSALL —— Drug use, suicide, and bullying are among the topics
included in a survey that will be given to all Bonsall students,
with their parents' consent. At a board meeting Wednesday, Bonsall
Union School District trustees voted 4-1 to allow the survey to be
offered with parental consent as long as the parents were given, on
the permission slips, an explanation of the questions to be asked
and how the information would be used.

The survey, a comprehensive look at youth risk behavior and
resilience, was crafted by WestEd, a nonprofit research,
development, and service agency, according to WestEd's Web site.
WestEd collaborated with the California Department of Education in
the development of the survey.

For administering the survey to its students, the district will
continue to receive its annual allotment of about $15,000 of
federal money generated by penalty payments from tobacco companies,
said Bonsall West Elementary School Principal Tom Pellegrino.

Students who participate in the survey would not be identified
in any way, Pellegrino said —— adding that it's not about the
money.

"The goal is to make sure we're doing the best for students in
the learning environment, and safety is part of that," Pellegrino
said. "This creates awareness."

Survey data would be forwarded to the state Education
Department, the district superintendent and principals, Pellegrino
also said. Principals could decide whether to share the statistical
information with teachers and parents.

Board member Sylvia Tucker cast the lone dissenting vote. She
voiced concerns about the wording of some of the questions, called
some of the questions "invasive" and said she wanted to be sure
parents were given a clear explanation of the type of information
the California "Healthy Kids Survey" is trying to assess.

Board President Tim Coen, a medical doctor, said he does not
think the questions are invasive.

"Some of these are questions I ask people every day," Coen said.
"They are tools for dealing with health issues. I see nothing but
good coming from asking kids questions many parents don't ask their
kids. The key is that it's voluntary and anonymous."

Although the topics will be the same, there will be different
versions of the survey for the elementary, middle school, and high
school-age students, Pellegrino said.

Still, Lori Freeland, a Bonsall parent present at the meeting
Wednesday, told the board she thought the survey does not serve the
purpose of educating students.

"They're not learning," Freeland said. "I'm sending my kids to
school for the three R's."

Lisa Harrison of the Parent Teacher Association said she
discussed the topic with some parents and they were agreeable to
the survey as long as they were able to review the questions ahead
of time.

In his presentation to the board, Pellegrino said the survey
would be available at the main office at each school, and at the
district office for parents to review. The survey could also be put
on the schools' or district's Web site for inspection, Pellegrino
said.

In other business Wednesday, the district board appointed
Freeland to the board of directors of the sixth- through 12th-grade
Bonsall Charter Academy for Learning. The five-member panel
oversees the day-to-day functions of the charter school. The
academy had a student enrollment of 90 as of Wednesday.